A Family Affair
by CloudSpires1295
Summary: Sisfic coda to 5x12 "Swap Meat". Erica Winchester struck out on her own not long after her father died, taking a little secret along for the ride. Three years later, she's settled into a mostly mundane life... that is, until her brothers turn up on her doorstep one night and the hunting life she tried to run away from finally catches up to her. Rated T for swearing.


**I came across this Imagine prompt on tumblr and, I can't find it at the moment, but it was along the lines of "imagine getting pregnant and running away from Sam and Dean, and then them catching up with you five years later". It was something like that. I decided to take it and, rather than making it a self-insert, I turned it into a sisfic. The user who posted the prompt is** _ **TeamFreeWillImagines**_ **.**

 **Erica Winchester is Sam's twin sister, and I mainly picked this particular name because John's middle name is Eric. Yeah. She's about 5 foot 5 give or take an inch, her hair's brown like Sam's, she's got his hazel eyes, but she lucked out and got the dimples** _ **and**_ **the freckles. Let's say that, not long after John died, Eri found herself in a** _ **certain**_ **predicament and took off without telling either of her brothers where she was headed.**

 **Now, according to the timeline on the Superwiki, the timeframe between season 2 and 5 is about three years, so we'll shorten the jump to three because that's where I want to base it. I know, the timeline's not exactly reliable but it's not like there are that many established dates in SPN, now are there? Other than the birthdays of the Winchesters and the days Mary and Jessica died, there aren't many concrete dates.**

 **Eri works as a teacher's aide at the high school in Housatonic where our** _ **dear**_ **friend Gary goes to school and, lo and behold, guess who runs into her in one of Gary's classes during the duration of the body swap spell? Now, let me actually** _ **write**_ **it… let's hope it comes out the way it's panning out in my head.**

* * *

Mary Johnson sat primly at her smaller desk at the back of the AP Physics classroom, grading some tests that the class took the previous week. Her soft, dark brown hair fell over her left shoulder in a neat braid, and a pair of turquoise and cocoa brown rimmed reading glasses were perched on her nose. The reading glasses were for show, however, she had perfect 20-20 vision… had to be in _her_ family. A soft shudder ran through her frame as she shook the thoughts of _family_ from her head and continued her grading silently as the next class slowly trickled into the room from the current passing period.

Sam awkwardly entered the AP Physics classroom, trying for all the world to look like he was the real Gary Frankle. It'd been a good few years since he'd last graced a high school classroom and he didn't miss the furtive stares a single bit. Shouldering his backpack higher up on his shoulder, the younger Winchester brother moved further into the room, aiming to take a seat at one of the lab tables towards the back of the room. His steps faltered, however, at the sight of a very familiar young woman with braided dark brown hair and eyes the same hazel as his. She was totally absorbed in the papers before him, but her ears, forever sharpened by the rigorous training their father had put them through, didn't miss the shocked whisper that involuntarily leapt from his borrowed lips.

" _E-Eri?_ "

" _Mary_ " looked up sharply at the sound of her true name, inwardly cursing her instinctual response to it, and eyed the culprit. The scrawny, awkward little kid who always sat at the back of the class and didn't talk much stood frozen in the aisle between two rows of lab tables, staring at her like he couldn't believe his eyes. Clearing her throat, Eri smiled a little too enthusiastically to cover her blunder and spoke cordially, "did you say something, Mister…" her eyes trailed down to check his student ID, "Frankle?"

"Uh…" Sam coughed and scratched at the back his borrowed head sheepishly, remembering that he wasn't in his own body, "uh, no Miss… Miss—" _What the hell is she even doing here? Where's she been all this time?_

" _Johnson_." Eri gestured to her own ID, "it's Johnson. Why don't you take your seat, Gary? Class should be starting in a bit." Something about the way this kid was eyeing her, in such an intense fashion that was so out of character of the Gary she normally saw, reminded her painstakingly of her twin brother. It made her intensely uncomfortable and she felt the urge to bolt rising up in her chest. Something niggled at the back of her mind and she recalled, with a spark of fear, seeing a _very_ familiar black '67 Impala in town earlier in the week. It'd only been three years but Eri knew Baby when she saw her.

"Oh, right," Sam spoke a little too quickly, "sorry about that; you kinda… you kinda look like somebody I used to know…"

 _I'm pretty sure you've never looked at me like that before during this semester, Gary, but sure, why not?_

"It's fine, Gary." with one last smile and a polite wave towards the desks, Eri buried herself in her grading. It was all she could do to push the uncomfortably awkward encounter with " _Gary_ " from her mind.

*after school*

Eri hurried across the parking lot to her car, a deep cherry red four-door '70 Ford Mustang that she'd christened, aptly, with the name _Red_. It'd been procured with some rather _questionable_ means two years back and, after growing attached, she decided to keep it as her personal vehicle. It was approaching half past five in the afternoon, and, even as she was simultaneously tossing her satchel into the backseat and climbing into the front seat, her cell phone was ringing, blaring out " _All You need is Love_ " by the Beatles.

Grumbling lowly under her breath, the youngest Winchester answered the call, shoving her key into the ignition as she did so, "Hi Miss Martha… I know, I'm running a little late… yeah, I had to stay after a little longer than I'd hoped I would… Just give me ten-fifteen minutes and I'll be there… alright, thank you so much… goodbye." She tossed the phone into the passenger seat and started the car, "Jamie's gonna be upset…"

*fifteen minutes later*

Eri pulled into the parking lot of a small strip mall and parked in front of _Precious Cargo Daycare Center_. The Winchester killed the engine and grabbed her purse, throwing the strap over her shoulder before clambering out of the car and locking the doors behind herself. She stepped up onto the curb and entered the daycare quietly and approached the desk. The woman behind the desk, an elderly woman with sharp blue eyes and a gentle, motherly face, eyed her up with a mixture of contempt and amusement.

"About time you got here, Mary," the woman spoke in an alto tone, "that boy of yours just went down for his second nap." Eri smiled apologetically, "I know, this is the third time this week. I'm sorry, Miss Martha—"

"Yeah, yeah, I understand," Martha's blue eyes twinkled as she laughed, "things are kinda busy up there at the schoolhouse aren't they?"

"The busiest," the young mother admitted tiredly, "almost time for summer vacation, ya know?"

"Mmhmm. Come on back here and get your little man," the older woman led the way into a small room, filled with cribs and changing tables. She walked over to a deep brown wood crib with green and white dressings and smiled down at the occupant, "my goodness, I'll never get used to how handsome he is. You're gonna have to beat all the girls off with a stick when he's older."

"Trust me, that _won't_ be a problem." Eri smiled as she came to Martha's elbow and peered over the crib's edge at her little miracle. Well, not so little, as he'd be three years old in the coming months. She ran a hand gently over his glossy black-brown waves and rounded, lightly freckled cheeks. Plump little pink lips smacked in slumber, and her smile widened.

"Hi, Jay-bird," she cooed quietly, "I'm sorry I was so late, baby boy. Let's get you home and in bed." Moving carefully and gently, Eri lifted her slumbering son out of the crib and cradled him in her arms, allowing his head to rest in the crook of her neck. Jamie stirred slightly, but easily fell back into deep slumber at the sound of his mother's soothing croons.

"You be safe driving home with that precious cargo of yours, you hear?" Martha whispered, waving a finger in mock-threat as the youngest Winchester sibling left the nap area of the nursery and headed back out front.

"Oh, always Mrs. Martha." Eri responded, "And thank you for keeping the doors open a little longer for me."

"Don't mention it, dear," the older woman nodded once, "it isn't easy doing this on your own, coming from experience, but it's the little things that make it all worthwhile." The younger woman nodded in agreement and headed out the door, keeping her arms and body protectively wrapped around her little one.

*At Eri's home*

Eri sat in the living room of her modest three-bedroom rental home, freshly showered and sipping at a mug of lavender and chamomile tea as she looked over the last of the load of papers she had to grade. In her lap, having long since given up her quest for attention, laid the huge head of a wooly Alaskan malamute. The youngest Winchester twin smiled down at the malamute and scratched at her ears with her free hands, "Sorry, Kai, I'm a little busy."

Kai gave a low grumble of protest and continued to rest her head in Eri's lap. Erica sighed and rolled her eyes in exasperation. Sometimes she wondered why she ever took in the sweet little puppy she'd found abandoned in an alley almost two years prior, but she knew that, if she could turn back time, she wouldn't dare do a damn thing differently. Kai and Jamie were her babies, _overgrown_ baby in Kai's case, and she loved them both dearly.

"I'll give you belly rubs when I'm done grading, kay?" she asked the dog quietly. Kai's ears perked up, and Eri snorted with laughter before returning her focus to the papers on the table before her and her wonderful mug of tea.

*meanwhile*

"Welcome back, Kotter," Dean muttered, turning the volume down on the stereo before backing out of Gary's driveway, "the sooner we get out of this screwed up town, the better. Last thing we need is another nerd putting the whammy on ya, Sammy." He chuckled slightly at the rhyme as the Impala glided down the street.

After a few short minutes of driving, Sam spoke up, "Dean, we can't leave yet."

"What?" the older Winchester brother looked incredulous, "why the hell not?" Dean guided his Baby into the parking lot of a closed convenience store and put the brake on, turning to look at his little brother in confusion.

"While I was in Gary's body, I went to his school…"

"Yeah, _and_?"

"And I saw Eri."

"… What?" Dean's green eyes were wide, "it's been… it's been three _years_ since she took off, Sam, are you sure it was her?"

" _Only_ three and I'm pretty sure I'd know my own twin sister, Dean." Sam replied blithely, "it was her, alright. I said her name and she looked at me like she'd seen a ghost. She's been going under the name Mary Johnson; that's what I saw on her ID card."

"ID card?" the eldest Winchester raised his brows, "so she works at the high school then?"

"Teaching aid, I think." The younger brother turned to look at his older brother, "what do you think? Should we stop in and see her?"

"We'll have to find her damn address first," Dean furrowed his brows in thought, and then smiled cheekily, "up for a little B&E, Sammy?"

*at the high school*

Sam stood watch as Dean fished out his lock picking tools and began to work the lock on the side-entrance to the school. After a few moments of tinkering, the lock gave and he pulled the door open with a flourish. Sam rolled his eyes and handed a flash light to his brother.

"So," Dean muttered, "we'd go to the office or whatever to find these records, right?"

"Generally." Sam scanned the hall for any signs of alarms. Seeing none, he nudged his brother and led the way down the hall, "the office is this way."

*Secretary's Office*

Sam knelt down beside the filing cabinet, rifling through the records. Dean was standing over his shoulder, holding the flash light so he could see. The younger Winchester brother furrowed his brow as he got to the J's and fished around, plucking a manila folder with ' _M. Johnson_ ' out of the drawer. The two brothers moved over to a nearby desk, and Sam placed the folder on top of the various forms and loose paper and flipping it open.

"Mary Deanna Johnson," Dean read over his brother's shoulder, "think she picked that one on purpose?" Sam chuckled humorlessly, "I think that's pretty obvious, Dean. According to this," he traced a line of information with his finger, "Erica doesn't live too far from our dear friend Gary. Just a few blocks, actually."

"Ya know, I don't think she'll like us dropping in on her at this hour," Dean chuckled, "but what the hell? Let's go check on baby sis."

"It's been three years, Dean," Sam murmured, "Erica hasn't bothered trying to get into contact with us or meet up with us… maybe there's a reason why. Maybe she wanted out of—"

"Dude, we're her _family_ ," the eldest Winchester responded, "I can understand her wanting out of the life, especially after dad, but do you _really_ think she'd just forget about us like that?"

"Eri wanted out just as much as I did, Dean, she just didn't go to college to do it." The younger brother replied in a low voice, "Think about it; we're in the middle of the friggin _apocalypse_ right now. We're probably the last people she wants anything to do with."

"I'm not sayin' we're just gonna drag her right back out into the line of fire and throw a shotgun in her hands," Dean's jaw clenched, "she's our sister and we haven't seen hide or hair of her in almost half a decade. We're just gonna talk to her, that's all. Put the file back and let's go."

*Eri's house: a few minutes later*

Eri looked up from her last paper as she checked the rubric to mark the grade when Kai's ears perked up and she began to growl low in her throat. The malamute stood on all fours and prowled into the small front hall, the snarl building in volume. Eyebrows furrowed, Erica turned off the small lamp she was working under and rounded the sofa, heading over to a small, nondescript cabinet.

At first glance, the thing was empty, but with a slide of Erica's fingers beneath the wooden base, the back wall popped open to reveal a small arsenal. The retired huntress retrieved a moderately sized silver revolver and slid the barrel open to check for bullets. She loaded the six chambers with consecrated iron rounds, placed a few extras into the inside pocket of her robe, put a silver knife into a holster around her left forearm, concealed by her robe, and tucked a small flask of holy water into her pajama pants pocket before advancing to the front hall.

Eri moved silently to stand guard at the branch-off hallway leading to her son's room. Jamie's room was already salted and warded, complete with the strongest devil's traps she knew of, carved into the wood over his door and the windows, so she knew that, if this threat was of the supernatural variety, it would run into one hell of a problem trying to get to her baby boy… if it got past her first. The huntress whistled for Kai to come to her, and the agitated guard dog reluctantly left its position, growling at the front door, to come to her owner's side. She could hear someone outside of the door, talking in low tones and, not long after, the soft tinkling sound of lock picks in her lock…

 _Rogue hunters? A demon maybe? Can't think of anything else that would bother to pick the damn lock…_

*outside*

"Seriously, Dean?" Sam, who was standing watch, looked over his shoulder to watch his brother pick the lock, "I know you saw the light go off through the curtains when we pulled up. Erica's probably in the bed by now."

"Oh, stick a sock in it, bitch," Dean grumbled in response, "we pulled up not even six minutes ago; I doubt she managed to go to sleep _that_ damn quickly. Just because you pass out the moment your head hits the pillow doesn't mean _she_ does." The lock finally gave, and the eldest Winchester sibling gave a triumphant, though quiet, crow and put his tools away before pushing the door open and stepping into the darkened front hall. The last thing he expected was for a freakin' _wolf_ to come around the corner and start growling at him like he was its next meal.

"Holy shit," Dean breathed, involuntarily raising his hands in a show of surrender, " _down_ , wolfy, _down_ … _Sam_ ," he hissed over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving the angry dog, "she's got a fucking _dire wolf_."

"Dire wolves are extinct, Dean," Sam, watching the show from over his brother's shoulder, responded with thinly veiled amusement, "That's a wooly Alaskan malamute."

"I don't give a damn what the damned thing is, it's fucking _pissed_ and ready to _eat me_ ," the elder brother spat shakily, "I already got eaten by a bitch once, I don't want it happening again!"

"Well, don't look it in the eye, for one," the younger brother rolled his eyes, exasperated, "dogs see that as a sign of aggression. Look down at the floor."

A small laugh from somewhere within the house caught both hunters' attention, and the two Winchester men looked up as a familiar petite form stepped into the light spilling in from the ajar door. "Well, now I know you two aren't demons," Erica remarked dryly, flicking the safety on her gun back into place and turning her gaze to the aggressive dog, "Kai, _heel_." Kai gave a whimper of protest, but did as she was told, moving to sit beside her owner. Her sharp eyes never left the two new arrivals.

"Nice wolf ya got there, nugget." Dean, having cleared his throat to get the higher pitch of fear out of his voice, remarked lithely.

"Should I even bother asking how the two of you found me?" Erica inquired, rolling her eyes at the childhood nickname, "Because I saw Baby earlier this week and assumed you guys were working a case in town. I'm guessing that it involved the school in some way, otherwise I don't see how you would've come across my address."

"We were actually passing through on our way to another town to salt and burn a witch's ghost," Sam explained, "and, while we were here—"

"Sammy got whammied," Dean was all too eager to steal the spotlight and explain, "big time; some geeky kid was fooling around with some big time hoodoo and swapped meatsuits with ol' Sasquatch here for a few days."

"Dean didn't even notice that I wasn't me until the kid picked up some cougar at a bar _after_ they'd worked the case," Sam snarked, "shows how well you know me, jerk."

"Quit whinin', bitch."

"Wait a minute," Eri raised a hand, "was the kid… Gary Frankle?" she asked, "he… _you_ ," she pointed at her twin, "you said my name and I just about freaked out. To think I was entertaining the thought of Gary being related to one of Dad's old hunting buddies."

"Are we gonna dance around the polka-dotted elephant in the room or are you gonna fess up," Dean snapped into seriousness and eyed his sister critically, "because, as nice as it is to catch up and everything, I really wanna know why you've been holed up in this crap town for the past three years."

" _One_ year," Eri corrected softly, "I settled down here a year ago; before that I was further up north in Maine, and I don't have to answer to you—"

"Eri, _come on_ ," Dean spat, "you disappear without a fucking trace not even two months after dad's funeral, didn't bother to keep in touch and, now that you've popped up, you think you don't at least owe us an explanation? Erica, you could've been _dead_ for all we knew."

"Oh, believe me, I wanna tell you guys why I up and quit the life, but neither of you would understand!" the female Winchester's temper was beginning to flare to life, "how do I know that you two morons won't just blow up on me when I do explain?"

"I dunno, sis, why don't—"

"Okay Dean, just quit badgering her, alright?" Sam moved around his brother to place himself between him and his twin sister, "Eri can tell us why she left on her own, _without_ you pressuring her. Just chill out, dude." He turned to look at his sister, who smiled wanly in thanks and stooped low to scratch behind Kai's ears. Down the short hall Eri had emerged from, a child's cry rang out, and she flinched as both her brothers snapped back to attention, looking between her and the hallway.

"You babysitting or something?" Dean asked quietly. Eri bit down on her bottom lip and uttered, " _Or something_ ," before hurrying down the hall to the aid of her son. Upon opening the door, she found her little boy standing in his crib, holding onto the safety gate with tears running down his freckled cheeks. The moment she stepped into the room, Jamie calmed considerably and his hazel eyes glowed with joy.

"Hi, handsome," Eri soothed, reaching out to pick him up, "I'm so sorry, did I wake you?" the two year-old cracked an adorable dimpled grin and laid his head in the crook of his mother's neck. She dropped a soft kiss on the top of his head, "love you, baby boy," and barely kept herself from jumping at the sound of two surprised gasps that came from the doorway. Turning to face her brothers, Erica managed a weak smile.

"Surprise, you're uncles now?"

Sam pushed Dean's hanging jaw back up before entering the room, eyeing the sleepy toddler cradled in his twin's arms. The little guy looked up at him with half-lidded eyes and patted his mother's shoulder to get her attention.

"Momma? Who dat?" Jamie inquired sweetly, looking almost straight up to see his newfound Uncle's face properly. Eri laughed softly, "Jamie, this is Momma's twin brother, your Uncle Sammy. Can you say Sammy?" she didn't know what else to do; she'd never prepared for what would happen if her brothers ever caught up with her and her son, so she just… improvised.

"Sammy?" the littlest Winchester asked, furrowing his brow as if unsure of himself. Sam looked at his sister for an invitation and, when she nodded, offered a hand to his little nephew, "hey there, Jamie, nice to meet you." A light pink flush broke out over Jamie's cheeks, and the twins shared a laugh as he tucked his head into his mother's neck, abashed.

Dean finally came to his senses after suffering the shock of finding out that his sister had been _pregnant_. His mind balked at the idea of his little baby nugget being a _mom_ but, alas, with the very real, very physical, and very cute proof right in front of him, the eldest Winchester knew he'd have to face it and move on. Breathing a sigh, Dean fully entered the room, hiding a grin at the very subtle warding Eri had placed in little Jamie's nursery. His baby sister had been very thorough in protecting her kid.

"Hiya, kiddo."

Jamie looked up at the new voice and frowned at the new face he was faced with. He tugged on his mother's sleeve, not bothering to look away from his second uncle. Eri took his hand and pressed a kiss to the chubby palm, "this is Momma's big brother, your Uncle Deano." She chuckled quietly at the faint grimace that colored her older brother's face at the usage of the dreaded nickname.

The littlest member of the Winchester clan smiled at this new person, his Uncle Deano, deciding that he liked both him and his Uncle Sammy. His mother kissed him on the temple and smiled, "alright, little man, it's late. You need to go back to bed. How about we get some warm milk in that little tummy of yours and call it a night?" she knew that the warm milk would do the trick and put Jay's lights out good and proper.

"Aw, don't be a buzzkill, nugget," Dean mock-whined, "let the little guy stay up a little longer—"

" _No_ Dean," Sam and Erica chorused, and Erica continued, "I don't know if you know this, but little handsome two year-old Winchester boys need their rest if they're gonna grow up to be big and strong Winchester men. In other words, what Momma says goes, and I say that my little man is gonna get his rest." Jamie was lolling against her shoulder as it was. Maybe he wouldn't need the warm milk after all…

*after Jamie goes back to sleep*

"Can I just say ' _holy crap, nugget had a baby nugget_ '?" Dean inquired, nursing the beer Eri had fished out of the back of the fridge for him. He and Sam were sitting on the couch in the living room and, now that she'd gotten used to the newcomers, Kai had all but thrown herself at Sam, who was more than willing to give her some nice belly rubs. The younger Winchester brother rolled his eyes at his brother, "that's the third time you said it, and yeah, it's kinda crazy."

"You two could _at least_ wait until I came back in here before you started gossiping about me like two old biddies," Eri entered the room, nursing a fresh mug of tea. She turned up her nose with an amused snort at the sight of Kai lying pliantly on her back, happily panting as Sam scratched her belly, "good God, Kai you belly rub whore."

"Well then," the younger Winchester twin muttered, taking a seat on the arm of the overstuffed recliner, "since you two are, _apparently_ , not leaving tonight, why don't we spill our guts like teenage girls and clear the air?"

"I'm pretty sure ours is gonna take longer, so…" the eldest sibling waved a hand at his sister, "the floor's yours, nugget."

"Stop calling me that, you moron," Erica griped, furrowing her brow as she debated on how to start her tale, "long story short? I was stupid and irresponsible. I went to the bar alone to get shitfaced drunk after Dad died and had a one night stand with some prick. I can't even remember his face. The next morning, I woke up naked in a one of our usual, skeevy motel rooms with a hangover from the very depths of hell. The mystery prick left me a note and nothing else. ' _Thanks for the fuck_ '," she rolled her eyes at the simmering rage in Dean's eyes, "so, a few weeks go by, everything's normal… the next month comes, and I'm getting hit with nausea, dizziness, tender tits, the whole nine."

"You two were still angst'ing it out and weren't talking to each other, let alone _me_ ," Eri uttered, "so, of _course_ I didn't bother telling either of you when I took a visit to the local drug store and found out that my recklessness had come with a hefty price tag."

"The dickbag didn't wrap it up?" Dean demanded, and the youngest Winchester sibling sighed, "Nope, Deano, he didn't. So I found myself in one shitty ass situation. Pregnant, don't know who the dad is, _my Dad_ just died, and my brothers are too busy grieving in their own moronic ways… I'm thinking that my pregnant ass is the _last_ thing you two need dumped on your plates after the shitstorm with Dad, so I waited until you guys left Uncle Bobby's for a job and took off on my own."

"Eri, come on, you had to have known that we would've helped you out and supported you," Sam sighed, clearly displeased, "you didn't have to take off."

"No, I _did_ have to take off," she whispered, "think about it, Sammy; a _pregnant_ hunter. Even if you two _would've_ let me keep hunting in my condition, which I know you _wouldn't_ , you guys would've been spread crazy thin trying to protect me from that Yellow-eyed pricksicle demon _and_ keep up the family business. I wasn't about to do that to you guys; I love you too much, so I struck out on my own."

"He's dead, ya know," Dean looked up at his sister, smiling wanly, "the yellow-eyed pricksicle is dead."

"I missed way more than that, I can tell," Eri looked at her big brother meaningfully, "I saw it, the moment you stepped into the house, something's changed you and not in a good way… both of you, actually," she looked between the two Winchester brothers, "I've told a big chunk of my story, so you two might as well get on with yours."

Sam and Dean looked at each other, silently communicating with their eyes, and then, once a decision had apparently been reached, Sam took over, "a while after you took off, we started running into other… other Special Children… like us."

"You mean your psychic thing and my dream-walking/astral projection thing?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded, "turns out we aren't the only ones to have had our mother burned on the ceiling… not all of them lost their mothers, but we were all born around the same time. Wait a minute," the younger Winchester brother furrowed his brows at his long lost sibling, "we didn't see you at Cold Oak."

" _Cold_ _Oak_?"

"The Yellow Eyed _pricksicle_ , as you so lovingly called him," the amusement in Dean's voice sounded forced, "summoned all of his _special children_ to this town; Cold Oak, and had them fight to the death so he could choose one of them to lead an army of demons. Didn't go so well for us."

"Um yeah, I'm pretty sure I was super pregnant at the time," Eri remarked, furrowing her brow in thought, "and what do you mean ' _didn't go so well_ '?"

"Well, ya know how our Sammy is, or _was_ , so damn nice and always trying to see the best in people," the eldest sibling remarked, sarcasm dripping from his words, "well, he kinda pulled the group of kids he was supposed to kill together and got 'em to cooperate… at least until the crazy one summoned a fucking demon and… yeah," he shook his head, "long story short, it's down to Sam and this Army dude. Sammy beats the guy fair and square but he doesn't finish the job, and then, when Bobby and I _finally_ found the damn place, the shit head goes and stabs 'im in the back… _literally_."

Erica looked at her twin with wide eyes, clearly horrified, "I… Sammy, you… you _died_?" Her eyes filled with tears, "I never—"

"You did the right thing, nugget, getting the hell out of dodge when you found out about your kid," Dean soothed, "'s not your fault."

"Yeah, Eri, it's okay," Sam shrugged his shoulders helplessly, looking over at Dean, "I'm here now." Erica's hazel eyes whipped to Dean, whose eyes had seemed somewhat haunted from the moment he entered her home, and she _knew_ , instantly, what had happened for her twin brother to be sitting here, alive and well, in front of her. Realization settled uncomfortably deep in her soul and the budding tears in her eyes spilled over her lids and flowed down her cheeks.

"I'm here now, nugget, don't cry," The eldest Winchester soothed, "c'mon, no chick flick moments, kiddo."

Despite herself, Eri managed a weak, watery laugh before pulling herself together, "A-alright, you moron, but… _God_ ," she uttered, looking between her two siblings, "a _demon deal?_ How long were you... were you—?"

"Gettin' deep fried extra crispy?" Dean asked, tone mockingly bright, "four months up here; 4 decades down there."

"You're both morons," she uttered, "the biggest morons in the history of morons. Oh my God, I turn my back for a second and it's like the two of you _literally_ couldn't live without me." The retired huntress joked wanly, "Now what's going on? Something else has happened, hasn't it?"

"Well, fuck, you're still sharp as hell," the eldest Winchester remarked dryly, "so tell me, nugget, how familiar are you with the book of Revelations?"

"The _bible_ Revelations, right? That's the whole Judeo-Christian apocalypse sequence," Erica responded, "With the Seals and the Horsemen and the…" she trailed off at the twin flinches on her brothers' faces, "guys, don't tell me… the freakin' _apocalypse_? It's actually _coming_?"

"Um," Sam blushed and looked down at his feet, "actually, Erica, it's kinda already here."

"You're pulling my chain, aren't you?" Her voice was filled with exasperation, "I'd think I would've noticed if the friggin' _apocalypse_ kick started in the past few months—"

"You know how you're always calling us morons, Erica?" Dean inquired, "Well, you're looking at the two _morons_ who did the kick starting. Long story short? We got played." A fake, overly cheesy grin briefly graced his face before falling into a deep scowl, "we were basically puppets for the dickbag higher ups who actually _wanted_ this crazy shit to happen."

Eri was rendered speechless for a few seconds, and then managed to utter, "this makes my story look like a damn cake walk," before grabbing her mug of tea and taking a deep chug, "I think I need something stronger; I'm not drunk enough for this. You _two_ ," she pointed at them in turn, "how did… what even… the _hell_?"

"I'm kinda stuck on the fact that you're not angry," Sam admitted with a humorless chuckle, "I mean, come on, we— well, _I_ screwed up royally."

" _We_ , Sam," Dean corrected gruffly, " _Somebody_ had to break the first Seal to start this damn thing off."

"You were _tortured_ into it, Dean, that's not nearly the same as—"

"But it's not just _your_ fault, Sammy—"

The argument between the two Winchester brothers began to grow in intensity and Eri found herself lost as words like, " _demon whore_ ", " _feathery dickbags_ ", " _vessels_ ", and " _prom_ " began to get tossed around, amongst other things. In all honesty, she was sorely tempted to get her revolver and fire a blank to shut the two of them up, but things were getting too interesting at this point.

" _Guys,_ " Erica waved her hands to get their attention, "I have no freakin' clue what you two are going on about, but apparently angels are real, they're dickbags, and you two are… _vessels_? What the hell does that mean?"

"Not _all_ angels are dickbags," Dean corrected, "we have one on speed dial. Pretty cool guy, just… he's really, _really_ …"

"Naïve," Sam finished, "and not too big on minding personal space."

"What Sammy said."

"Ooookay… overshare," Eri scooped up her mug and took a sip, "I… um," she hesitated, "do I… do I finish my story or… Oh screw it," she mumbled, "um, I spent a decent chunk of my pregnancy bouncing between our usual skeevy motels and… and homeless shelters when I didn't have the money for a motel. Towards the end of my pregnancy, I was a mess, not nearly as healthy as I should've been while carrying Jamie and this… this wonderful woman took me in," she smiled sadly, "I hadn't been getting nearly enough to eat while I was on my own, what I did get wasn't good for me or the baby, and it took its toll over time. She helped me get back to some semblance of health before I finally went into labor. I started hemorrhaging and ended up needing a C-section, and Jay didn't take his first breath for almost three whole minutes."

"After the health scare, Jamie and I were perfectly fine but," she bit her lip apprehensively, "the life was never all that far away."

"What happened?"

"Turns out that, for the five months I was staying with her, some demon had been riding her. I caught her standing over Jay's crib one night…" she shook her head, "I got her distracted before she could touch him and exorcized the bitch. Got a busted jaw and a bruised spine for the trouble, but it was more than worth it," a small grin colored her lips, "I'd do it again in a heartbeat because that bitch wasn't about to hurt my baby boy."

"After that, Eric and I had to get out of town quick, and that's when I found Red," Eri grinned, and Dean raised a brow, " _Red?_ Is that the dire wolf?"

"The ' _dire wolf_ ' is Kai, and I found her a few months later," Erica sniped, " _Red_ is the super sweet 1970 Mustang out in my driveway. Can you believe someone would leave a car like that, in ridiculously good condition no less, in some random junkyard to rot?"

"No way, I gotta see," the eldest Winchester jumped from the sofa, "where're the keys?"

"Hanging from the rack of knobs next to the front door," the younger Winchester twin responded, "knock yourself out, Deano."

"Yeah, don't call me that," Dean was already out of the room. Kai, who was all but fused to Sam's lap, looked up at his departure with a small, "woof."

Eri smiled at her twin brother and put her mug back down before getting down on the living room floor with him. After a few moments of petting Kai, Erica reached out and ran her fingers through her twin's shaggy brown hair, "I missed you, Sammy."

"Missed you too, Eri," Sam pulled her around so she was leaning up against his side, "you've done good for yourself, sis, and you're an awesome mom. How'd you land the job as a teaching aide?"

"I did some online schooling while you were at Stanford," Erica admitted, "I didn't finish up and get my teaching degree, but I'm qualified enough to be an aide." She nibbled her lip, "everything alright with you and Dean? You guys seem a little… distant."

"Some stuff went down last year that I'm not proud of," Sam responded softly, "While Dean was down in Hell, I went off the beaten path, so to speak, and the stuff that I did… I thought I could handle it and keep Dean from finding out about it, but it all just blew up in our faces. He doesn't really trust me, but I'm grateful he's given me a chance to try and rebuild that trust."

"Not gonna lie, I'm curious about what you did, but… I'm not gonna ask," Eri murmured, "I don't wanna sour our reunion, especially since you guys will have to get back on the road and… I'm probably not gonna see you two for a while after, huh?"

"Probably not until we stop the apocalypse, no."

"I still can't believe the apocalypse is a thing." The youngest Winchester sibling mumbled, "like… just _damn_. That's gonna take some getting used to."

"We're gonna upgrade your wards while we're here," Sam looked around, "you've gotten it pretty well warded against demons and all the standard stuff we used to hunt, but you need stronger demon wards and some angel warding, and we gotta show you how to trap an angel, just in case they come after you or Jamie."

"So no angel is a good angel unless they're wearing a trench coat and don't mind the boundaries of personal space?"

"Exactly."

"Good to know."

The twins looked up as Dean returned from his perusal of the Mustang known as Red, a wide grin on his face. The eldest Winchester hummed, "not bad for a Ford. You're taking good care of her."

"I learned how to tune-up from the very best." Erica winked, "so, Sam tells me there's some things I need to know about warding against and trapping angels, and I need better demon wards…"

"Yeah, about the ' _better demon warding_ '," Dean snapped his fingers, "what's you stance on tattoos?"

"… Uh, what?"

"Sam, you didn't show her?"

Sam rolled his eyes and unbuttoned the second and third buttons of his plaid shirt, pulling the left side away from his chest to reveal a rather peculiar and intricate pentagram tattoo on his chest, right over his heart. Eri reached out to trace the design, "inked on demon warding, huh?"

"100 percent effectiveness guaranteed."

"Just one problem," the former huntress rationed, "Jay's too young to get inked."

"I would say he's a kid and has no chance of getting possessed, but we've been proven wrong on that front." Dean shuddered in memory of Lilith's younger meatsuit, "He can wear a talisman until he's older but those damn things always get lost…" he furrowed his brow, trying to think of a way to keep his newfound nephew safe.

"I can stitch a few small talismans into his clothing. Kind of like a hidden pocket," Erica offered, "it'll be a little bit more effective than him just wearing it, and it'll lessen the chances of him losing it."

"That idea's not too bad," Sam hummed in thought, "you should definitely give it a shot, I'm not coming up with anything better."

"Alright, I'm gonna go get some holy oil and shit, and we're gonna teach you some of the new tricks we've learned in the past three years."

"You guys can stay the night and leave in the morning," Eri offered, "does free breakfast before you go sound good to you?"

"Free food _always_ sounds good." Sam rolled his eyes at Dean's comment, "typical, Dean, thinking with your gut." The two of them began bickering and Erica released a quiet sigh of contentment.

 _I never realized how much I missed these morons…_

*the next morning*

When Erica got Jamie out of his room to bring him in the kitchen while she fixed breakfast, both of her brothers were still sound asleep, Sam in the guestroom, Dean on the sofa in the living room. She didn't have to be at the school until later, around eleven, so she was free to take her time this morning.

With Jamie settled in his highchair with some cheerios and a sippy cup filled with OJ, Eri dug into the fridge to see what she could fix her brothers for breakfast. For Sam, she could fix him an egg white omelet with spinach, tomatoes, and feta with a side of fresh fruit. Dean, on the other hand, could get a regular omelet with bacon, sausage, ham, and cheddar cheese with a side of flapjacks. With a smile on her face, the single mother got to work separating eggs.

By the time Erica had both omelets plated up, the flapjacks cooking, and began slicing up some apples and oranges, she could hear Dean coming around in the living room. Jamie had finished off his cheerios and was now slowly working through a small bowl of applesauce with surprisingly little mess.

"Mornin'," Dean shuffled into the kitchen, "this is… this is weird."

"The home cooked meal or waking up in a house to a home cooked meal?"

"All of it," the elder Winchester responded, rubbing at his eyes, "I'm gonna go brush and clean myself up. You need any help?"

"Nope," Erica nudged him towards with her hip, "go wake Sam. You can clean up in the guest bathroom." She smiled at her older brother's back as he shuffled back out of the room, only dampening her grin when she remembered that they'd be gone again in a couple of hours.

How was she supposed to just go back to living her life knowing the things she did now? During the crash course on angels and their weaknesses the other night, Erica had been privy to finding out about a few more things that she'd missed while MIA.

The first time she met Jo, she'd been unimpressed by the girl's eagerness to be a hunter, but respected her drive. She'd also taken to Ellen pretty well after that first awkward meeting in the Road House. There was a harsh sting when Sam told her about Ellen and Jo's fate on the ill-fated trip to Carthage. She didn't regret the decisions she made to keep her son safely away from the life she used to lead, but the guilt was still nagging at her regardless.

Another thing Sam had told her about, while Dean was otherwise distracted of course, was that Dean may or may not have a kid of his own. Apparently Ben's mother, Lisa, had told him that he wasn't the father, but Sam wasn't too convinced on the grounds that they shared too many similar mannerisms. Erica made a mental note to indulge in some illegal activity to check in on her possible nephew sometime in the future.

 **(A/N: I like to believe that there's a chance that Dean IS Ben's father, at least after watching 6x21. Before that, I was like, '** _ **hm**_ **,** _ **maybe Lisa's telling the truth**_ **', but after the demon possession, I wasn't so sure.)**

Sam and Dean entered the kitchen, cleaned up and dressed for the road. Erica snapped out of her musings and pointed to the kitchen table, "sit down, I'll bring you your plates in a sec." The Winchester brothers took their seats and Jamie, sitting in his high chair, smiled at them in greeting.

"I've got an egg white omelet and fresh fruit for our resident health nut," Eri placed the omelet and a bowl of sliced apples, oranges, and white grapes in front of Sam, "and a meat-filled, cholesterol laden omelet and fluffy flapjacks for Deano with _real_ maple syrup."

"Awesome." Dean eyed his omelet with hungry eyes as Erica placed it on the table, "thanks, nugget." She rolled her eyes and placed the flapjacks on the table, along with warm maple syrup and a small plate of butter.

"Sam, if you want some pancakes, there's plenty more where these came from."

"Thanks, Eri."

"You're welcome. You guys chow down, I'm gonna go let Kai out into the backyard and fix her breakfast."

*later*

Erica sat at the head of the table with Jamie on her lap, having changed him out of his pajamas and into some play clothes for his stay at the daycare. Sam had elected to eat a few pancakes and was currently sopping up the residual syrup from his plate with the last few pieces of flapjack while Dean leaned back in his chair, contently sipping at his coffee.

"Was it that good, Dean?"

"It's been a while since I had homemade pancakes, nugget," Dean paused to burp, "it was awesome."

"Excuse you." The retired huntress dropped a kiss on the top of Jamie's head, smiling as he tossed his head back to look up at her. She dropped another kiss on his freckled nose and laughed as her son squeaked and reached up to grab the appendage.

"It's still there, Jay-bird," she nuzzled his soft hair, "you can relax."

An uncomfortable silence settled as soon as Sam finished up his pancakes, the three siblings looking at each other awkwardly, unsure of how to broach the subject of Sam and Dean's imminent departure.

"Unca Deano?" Jamie's voice was soft, "you leavin'?" Erica looked down at her son in surprise, she hadn't known he was aware of his uncles' departure.

"Yeah, bud," Dean reached out to tap his nephew's little nose, "we gotta go take care of some business, but we'll come back and visit when we can." Jamie went cross-eyed, trying to keep track of his uncle's finger, and Sam laughed softly.

"That alright with you, little man?"

"Otay." Jamie nodded seriously, and Erica pecked his forehead, "it could be a while, baby," she warned gently, "we don't know how long it'll be before they can come back to see us." The two year-old nodded again, "is otay."

"He's a smart little guy." Sam remarked, smiling weakly. Eri nodded in agreement, "he's pretty sharp for his age." She held out a hand, "give me your phones so I can put my number in there. No more losing track of each other, not this time."

Erica had missed out on three of the hardest years of her brothers' lives at her own hand, she wasn't about to let it happen again. They had a hard road ahead of them and she'd be damned if she let them get back to work on the apocalypse without at least some way to contact her. She couldn't get back in the game, but at least this way she'd be of some assistance to them… at least this way she could begin to assuage some of the guilt gnawing away at her gut…

*later*

Jamie was contently sitting on the floor in front of the television, watching cartoons. He'd already said his goodbyes, and now it was Erica's turn. She walked her brothers to the door, nodding good naturedly as the two of them offered some more tips on wards and the like.

" _Guys_ ," Eri hissed, "enough. I've got the blood sigil, the new wards, and everything we went over last night down pat. Even if I forget, I wrote everything down on paper, so I'll be fine."

Dean grimaced, "I… maybe we shouldn't have come and found you," he mumbled, "Heaven and Hell have got it out for us, what if we led one of them straight here?" Sam opened his mouth to refute his words and then paused, taking consideration of his words.

"Okay, look," Erica snapped, "if some demon or angel shows up, they can't get in the house. I'll go get my anti-possession tattoo done after work today and I'll be fine."

"She doesn't have angel warding on her ribs, Sam," Dean's eyes looked slightly wild with worry, "the winged dicks can come after her if they wanted, I'm pretty damn sure they know she exists."

" _Oh_ _my_ … What about the _angel_ _warding_?"

"That's for the house, it won't help if you're not in the house. Dear Cas, who art be looking for his deadbeat Dad right now and better not have lost my damn necklace, we need you to come to… what's your address?" Dean opened his eyes mid-prayer to look at his sister, who looked extremely exasperated.

"1602 Lemon Grove Court."

Not even a second after Dean repeated her address, there was a fluttering of feathered wings, and then there was a man standing directly in front of Dean, staring into his eyes. Erica jumped back, surprised, and then took in his clothing.

Rumpled brown-black ' _I-just-had-sex_ ' hair. _Check_. Trench coat. _Check_. Backwards blue tie. _Check_. Ridiculously huge and even more ridiculously blue eyes. _Check_. Invading Dean's personal space. _Check and double check_.

' _So this is Castiel…_ '

"Hello Dean." Deep, growly voice. _Check_. This is definitely _the_ Castiel.

"Cas, what did we talk about?"

"Right," the angel's rumbling voice came again, "your personal space issue." Cas moved away and turned to look at Erica curiously. The retired huntress raised a brow at his squinted gaze, "nice to meet you, Castiel. I'm—"

"Erica Winchester, only daughter of John and Mary Winchester, younger sister to Dean Winchester and the womb-mate of Sam Winchester."

"… yeah, that's me," Erica laughed awkwardly, "um…"

"Cas, can you put the no-angels-allowed marks on her ribs?" Dean asked, "we need her as safe as possible when we leave." The angel nodded, "I can do that, yes."

Erica recoiled from his hand as he reached out to her without preamble, " _whoa_ , _whoa_ , wait a minute… a little bit more of a warning first, Cas." Dean snickered and nudged Sam, "we're _so_ related." Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I'm going to place warding symbols on yours ribs," Cas explained plainly, "the process will be quick and slightly painful."

Erica looked at Sam, who'd been a little too silent, asking for help with her eyes alone. The younger Winchester brother moved to stand behind her and grabbed her arms, holding them still, "brace yourself."

"For wha—" Whatever she'd been about to ask was lost in a sharp cry as Cas' hand met her torso, just below her breasts, and a quick burst of screaming hot fire coursed through each of her ribs. Her knees quivered a bit as she struggled to get her bearings, blinking the light spray of black spots out of her vision.

"O-okay," Eri managed to breathe, "d-do you need to do that to Jamie?" a wave of maternal worry crashed over her, "he's only two, he can't…" The three Winchester's looked at Cas, waiting for a verdict.

"It would be best, in the long run, to have the child warded." Cas surmised.

For a few long minutes, Eri's maternal and hunter instincts waged war against one another. Sam rubbed her forearms slowly, trying to comfort her as she deliberated her options.

"I know you don't want him hurt, nugget," Dean offered, "but it's a few seconds of pain and some tears in exchange for him being safe from the God Squad. Trust me, Eri, you don't want them gettin' their hands on Jay," he looked at Sam, "they'll do anything to get what they want, and I mean _anything_."

"Dean is correct, Erica," Cas agreed, "my siblings will not think twice about hurting your son if it meant getting Sam and Dean to accept their destined roles in the apocalypse."

"Okay, okay," Eri dragged a hand over her face, "I get it, I just… I don't like it." She looked at the angel again, and something occurred to her, "Cas… how'd you get past the warding?"

"The warding was applied incorrectly in multiple areas," he responded, "I can remedy the infractions before I depart."

"Alright, let me go get Jamie, and then you can… you can ward him." Erica bit her lip apprehensively before walking back into the living room to get her son, leaving her brothers and Cas standing in the front hall.

"I feel so bad for putting her through all of this," Sam muttered, "maybe you were right, maybe I shouldn't have said anything about seeing her. I just got so excited; I never thought we'd actually run into her again."

"What's done is done, dude," Dean responded, softening his voice slightly, "we can't rewind time and undo all of this. At least we know she's not dead."

"Actually, I can attempt to do something of the sort," Cas spoke up, "once her son is protected and the wardings corrected, I can remove the memories they have of you from last night onwards. It'll be as though you never darkened her doorstep."

"Nice choice of words there, Cas," Dean responded bitterly and looked at Sam, "what do you think, dude?"

"It would be for the best, as much as I hate to say it," Sam admitted in a whisper, "she was doing perfectly fine before we came over last night."

"So we're on board for Cas Obi-Wan'ing us out of her memory?"

"Yeah, Dean… we're on board."

*later*

Erica cradled her son in her arms, shushing his wails and rubbing her hand up and down his back soothingly. As she'd expected, the warding had resulted in Jamie screaming his lungs out and bawling up a storm. Her heart ached for him, but she knew it'd be better for them in the long run. She got up from the bed to thank Cas for applying the protection, and was met with three fingers to the forehead.

"I sincerely apologize, Erica."

"Why…" she trailed off with a sigh as her eyes slipped closed and she slumped back to the bed. Cas repeated the action with Jamie, silencing his cries with a memory-wipe induced slumber.

"She'll wake up in time to get to work, and she won't think anything of the extra dishes in the sink or the bed in the guestroom being recently used. She'll think that the blood sigil and holy oil were things she learned on her own. Her suspicions of Gary Frankle will also be soothed, and she'll think that getting an anti-possession tattoo was her idea," the angel looked at Sam and Dean benignly, "I'll fix the wards and take my leave now. They'll awaken in about fifteen minutes."

"Thanks, Cas." Dean managed a choked whisper, ignoring the flutter of the seraph's departure. His gaze flicked down to his little sister and nephew, "it's better this way," he muttered, as if trying to force himself to believe it.

"Take care of yourself, nugget," the eldest Winchester leaned down to press a kiss to her temple, "and take good care of the little guy, too." He glanced up at the presence of Kai in the doorway and pointed a finger at her, "you better keep an eye out for both of them, furball." The malamute woofed softly and moved to curl up next to her owner on the bed.

"You've done so well for yourself, Eri," Sam murmured, "it was so good to see you again. I'll miss you so much." He kissed her forehead, "and you too, bud." He ruffled his nephew's hair affectionately, knowing he'll probably never see either of them again.

"Take good care of them for us, girl." Sam smiled at Kai, who perked up her ears and panted happily when he briefly scratched between her ears.

"Alright, we got a little under 12 minutes to get out of here," Dean remarked, still eyeing his sister fondly, "I'll go check out the wards and salt lines again and then we can go."

"Okay, Dean." Sam didn't seem like he wanted to move anytime soon, and his older brother slapped him on the back good-naturedly, "get the lead out, Sammy, Cas ain't here to wipe her mind a second time."

*12 minutes later*

Erica frowned as she came to on the bed in her guestroom with Jamie pressed snuggly against her chest, fast asleep. There was a rumble of a car engine fading in the distance and, for a moment, she could've sworn that it sounded just like Baby but it was too faint for her to be certain.

The sheets were rumpled beneath her, and her subconscious told her that she'd crashed there with Jamie the night before, but the scent lingering on them… oddly enough, the masculine scent on the sheets made her think of her twin brother.

 _God, I miss him_ , Erica thought morosely, _I hope he and Dean are alright, wherever they are_. She looked over at Kai, who was curled up on the bed next to them, "hey, girl. Did you spend the night with us in here last night?" To her surprise, the malamute released a soft whine and lowered her ears flat against her head, looking over her shoulder at the bedroom door.

"What time is it?" Eri asked aloud, sitting up, "I've got to be at the school by eleven." The clock on the bedside table read _9:38_. Her stomach rumbled, and she grimaced, "I guess breakfast is in order."

Moving carefully, the single mother got up from the bed and patted her thigh a few times to get Kai to come with her. As the malamute jumped off of the bed, she stirred up a wave of the Sam-like scent, leaving her owner feeling like she was missing something important.

 _I don't have time for this,_ Erica rationed, _I gotta go eat and get Jamie ready for the daycare and then I gotta get to work_. Forcing the off-put feelings to rest, the retired huntress headed into the kitchen to eat… only to be surprised by a stack of buttery, fluffy pancakes in the microwave.

"Okay, now this is just weird," she plucked three hotcakes off of the stack and put them on a plate, "did we have breakfast for dinner? Whatever, makes my day easier."

As the former huntress got herself and her son ready for the day, she managed to ignore the fact that the sofa smelled faintly like the aftershave her older brother always wore, a hunting knife that was clearly not hers had been tucked under one of the throw pillows on the same sofa, and found a drawing of a pentagram surrounded by what looked like flames resting on the coffee table.

 _I think I'm gonna go do something a little spontaneous after work…_

*meanwhile*

"Well, shit." Dean grumbled as he drove past the sign telling them they'd left Housatonic, "I left my knife under one of the pillows on the couch." Sam looked over at him, "'s not like we can just turn back and go get it, Dean."

"I know," the elder brother responded, "that was a damn good hunting knife though."

"I feel like crap for doing that to her," the younger Winchester admitted bitterly, "even if it's better for all of us, I just… it was so… I don't know, Dean."

"You feel dirty for agreeing to it, huh?" Dean asked, "it's not like we had any other choice, man, she wouldn't have agreed to it if we'd asked."

"How do you figure that?" Sam snapped in response, "we never gave her a chance, we just told Cas to do it because of what _we_ thought was best."

"Well now we'll never know," the elder hunter shot back, "what's done is done, now stop dwelling on it and move on."

"I'm just supposed forget about the fact that we found our sister after three years of no contact and, just like that, she's completely oblivious to the fact that we know where she is and that we have a nephew now? You're joking right?"

"That's not what I meant, Sam."

"Could've fooled me."

Dean's grip on the wheel tightened and a muscle in his jaw twitched with his irritation. Nonetheless, he reached out to the stereo and cranked the volume, letting Lynyrd Skynyrd form a metaphorical wall between him and Sam's attempt to start a chick flick moment. They didn't need this right now, there were bigger things afoot that they needed to take care of. When they came out on the other side, maybe they'd get Cas to remove his mojo from Erica's mind but for now… it was better that she didn't know that they were in the middle of the apocalypse, even if they had to be dirty and underhanded to make her forget about it all.

After all, ignorance is bliss.

* * *

 **When I started working on this again, I was stuck solidly at around 6.2k words, and then I started on it this morning and I somehow ended up tacking on a little under 4k onto what I already had. It could use a little more work, in all honesty, but I'm excited because I finished it off. I might come back and try to split it into two chapters because it's a bit on the hefty side, but for now I'll leave it alone. Hope you enjoyed the read!**

 ***~* _CloudSpires1295_ *~***


End file.
